The CW officially renewed Supernatural for season 6, which has fans excited and asking one huge question: What happens after the Apocalypse?

Season 5 of Supernatural saw the rise of Lucifer, the
arrival of the Four Horsemen and an eventual conclusion to creator Eric
Kripke's fabled five-year plan for the series. Now that there's a
sixth year, what's the new plan?

I spoke to some of the creative forces behind the show during the 100th episode party a little over two weeks ago. We chatted about the possibility of a sixth season and what might follow the Apocalypse.

In a nutshell, producer and director Robert Singer summed it up best: "Year six won't have the scope that this season has had. It's tough to top the Apocalypse."

Writer Sera Gamble agreed, saying "Why would you ever try to go bigger than Lucifer?" Instead, her idea for the future of Supernatural is "You just turn left and go a whole other direction. The show has never really been about God and the angels and demons, it's a show about Sam and Dean."

Gamble added, "There has always been a deep well to jump into in the boys' relationship...We have the opportunity to go back from the epic to a more intimate story."

Another Supernatural writer, Ben Edlund, also believes that getting back to basics is the way to go for season 6. "We can reset in a lot of ways and go back to stand-alones." But after writing dark and disturbing episodes like "On the Head of a Pin" and "Abandon All Hope," the best part about season 6 for Edlund could be that "I can be funny again."

Clearly season 6 is something the Supernatural team has put a lot of thought into. While the heightened mythology of the angels and the Apocalypse may be thrilling, fans longing for the simpler times of scary monsters of the week and heartfelt brotherly love can look forward to a sixth season focusing on the key elements that made Supernatural a success in the first place.